Part 2 – ‘Acing the Case’ with ConsultingPrep™

Looking to break into a top management consulting company but not sure how to prepare for the notoriously nerve wracking and difficult interview process? We have teamed up with Consulting Prep™, the leading Danish case interview preparation provider, to provide you with the best material to ensure you have all the prerequisites to ace the case! Today we will discuss the final two parts of acing the case – (3) connecting the dots and (4) adding perspective to the case. Click here to see the first part.

Mastering the various parts of the case interview

3) Connecting the dots

You have now defined and structured the case into various elements, however that in itself is not sufficient, you need to also be able to connect the various pieces: Issues, hypotheses, analyses, findings. In order to also bring your interviewer along, you need to do the two following things whilst connecting the dots:

Analyse: Perform the various analysis whilst speaking out loud. This is crucial as you want to be sure that the interviewer is able to follow your thought process and how you connect the dots.

Recommend: Now that you have presented your analysis it’s time to turn that into a cohesive story. Start by summarising the case and the key issue (E.g. “Revenue has been declining due to a new competitor which has entered the market and lowered prices”). Then present your proposed solution to address the main issue (E.g. “I recommend we acquire the competitor and create a new product at a lower price point”).

4) Adding Perspective

Once you have presented your flawless analysis and recommendation, it’s time to add a bit of perspective to the case. From a client’s perspective the recommendation might not be that straightforward to implement and you need to make it as understandable and actionable for the client.

Action: Provide the client with the specific actions they should take

Practicality: Consider what barriers there might be for implementation in the real world and what risks there would be

Further investigation: Be clear around potential limitations in your analysis and what you would like to have analysed further if you had time

To gain additional insights into the case interview, watch the movie below with senior McKinsey consultant Filipe Leal explaining the 4 case secrets that every consultant should know. You may also want to sign up for the Consulting Prep™ courses online here to gain an edge over other applicants.